JP2006039071A - Humidity controlling unit, process cartridge using the same, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve power saving of humidity control in an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The humidity inside a process cartridge PC is detected by a humidity sensor mounted inside the process cartridge PC and is transmitted as an electric signal to a controller board CB. The electric signal is monitored by the controller board CB and the supply electric power to a fan F and a humidity controlling unit HCU is so controlled that the humidity inside the process cartridge PC attains the prescribed humidity. For driving them, the electric power generated by a solar cell SC installed a top a pressure plate C 5 is used and the electric power is supplied through the controller board CB to the humidity controlling unit HCU and the fan F. If the electric power generated by the solar cell SC is insufficient, the electric power is so controlled that the electric power is supplied from a main power source PSU and an auxiliary power source supply unit SPSU as well. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer apparatus, and a facsimile apparatus, and more specifically, an atmosphere around an image forming unit for forming an image, a humidity control apparatus, It relates to a process cartridge.

  In recent years, in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as printers and copying machines, energy saving has been sought to reduce environmental burden. For energy saving, the Energy Star standard is well known, and currently the standard value for the energy saving mode is 15W for 20-44 copiers per minute and 20W for 45 or more copiers. It is prescribed as follows.

  In addition to the standards, the commercial power supply in general offices in Japan is 100V, 15A, and if more power is required, power construction is required, so energy conservation is also necessary in that sense. It is.

  On the other hand, regarding the functions of electrophotography, there is a demand from the market for high speed, color, and high image quality, and providing stable image quality over a long period of time is an important issue regardless of the usage environment. .

  In response to this problem, many methods have been proposed in the past to install a humidity control device and maintain the atmosphere of the image forming unit in a constant environment. However, as described above, mounting is becoming more restrictive regarding power consumption. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do.

That is, the conventional proposal relates to the control of the dehumidifying / heating device during standby, and no consideration is given to the power consumption of the humidity control device.
JP-A-10-146993 JP 2001-296787 A JP 2003-18340 A JP 2002-215006 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention has an object to save power in humidity control, and also to provide an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge including such a humidity control device. .

  A humidity control device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a humidity control means and a power generation device, and is capable of supplying operating power from the power generation device to the humidity control means.

  The invention according to claim 2 has a humidity control means, a main power supply device, and a power generation device, and is capable of supplying power for operation from the main power supply device and the power generation device to the humidity control means. When the power generation amount of the device is insufficient, the power of the main power supply device can be used together to supply power to the humidity control means.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a humidity control means, a main power supply device, an auxiliary power supply device, and a power generation device, and the operation power can be supplied from the auxiliary power supply device and the power generation device to the humidity control means. Thus, when the power generation amount of the power generation device is insufficient, the power of the auxiliary power supply device can be used together to supply power to the humidity control means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the humidity control device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the power generation device is a solar cell.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the humidity control device of the fourth aspect, the solar cell is a dye-sensitized solar cell.

  The process cartridge according to the sixth aspect is characterized in that the humidity can be controlled by using the humidity control device according to the first to fifth aspects.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the humidity control device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects is provided.

  According to claim 8 of the present invention, in the process cartridge according to claim 6 or 7, polymerized toner is used as a developer.

  The image forming apparatus according to the ninth aspect is characterized in that the humidity can be controlled by the humidity control device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the ninth aspect, a polymerized toner is used as a developer.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the process cartridge according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects is detachably provided.

  The present invention can contribute to energy saving by using a power generation device as a power source for a humidity control device without being limited to a commercial power source.

  The humidity control apparatus according to the present invention roughly includes a sensor unit for detecting the humidity of a location to be controlled, a blower unit including a fan and a pump, a dehumidifier / PPE device, an SPE membrane, a hollow fiber membrane, and the like. Consists of a humidifier. The sensor always detects the humidity of the control target part, and when it is determined that the humidity is not within a predetermined humidity condition, the dehumidifying / humidifying part is activated to start dehumidifying / humidifying. The air dehumidified / humidified by the dehumidifying / humidifying unit is sent to the control target unit by the blowing device of the blowing unit. The blower repeats OFF / ON depending on whether the humidity of the control target part is within a predetermined humidity condition or not. However, when performing more accurate control, the condition is not exceeded in order to make the humidity unevenness in the control target part uniform. Also in the case of the above, it may be set to turn on or blow a breeze. When the humidity detection by the sensor and the subsequent dehumidification / humidification response are slow, it is difficult to stably control in a predetermined humidity environment. There are various types of power generation devices, but solar cells are preferable. The reason is that light can be obtained easily and stably during the daytime. If a dye-sensitized solar cell is used, the appearance will not be impaired even if it is used in a place where the user can easily see it, such as an ADF or a pressure plate, and the degree of freedom of design increases because it can be bent.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. In the following description, the humidity control device of the present invention is described as an image forming apparatus and an example of a process cartridge attached to the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It can be applied to various devices. Further, these image forming apparatus and process cartridge can output a high-quality image by using a polymerized toner as a developer.

  An embodiment in which the humidity control apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. An image forming unit A is disposed substantially at the center of the in-body paper discharge type image forming apparatus, and a sheet is fed immediately below the image forming unit A. Part B is located. If necessary, another sheet feeding device can be added at the bottom. Above the image forming unit A, a reading unit C that reads a document with a paper discharge storage unit D interposed therebetween is disposed. A space between the image forming unit A and the reading unit C is a paper discharge storage unit D, which discharges and stores a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as paper) on which an image is formed.

  In the image forming unit A, a charging device A2 that charges the surface of the photoconductor A1 around the drum-shaped photoconductor A1, an exposure device A8 that irradiates the surface of the photoconductor A1 with laser light, and a photoconductor. A developing device A3 for visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed by exposure on the surface of A1, a transfer device A4 for transferring a toner image developed on the photoreceptor A1 to paper, and a toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor A1 after transfer. A cleaning device (represented by a cleaning blade in the figure) A5 and the like for removing and collecting are disposed. In recent years, the number of photoconductors A1, charging devices A2, developing devices A3, cleaning devices A5, and the like incorporated in one unit as a process cartridge (PC) is increasing for ease of maintenance.

  Further, a fixing device A6 for fixing the toner on the paper on which the toner image has been obtained is disposed on the downstream side in the paper conveyance path. The sheet that has passed through the fixing device A6 is discharged and stored in a discharge storage section D through a discharge roller A7.

  On the other hand, unused paper is stored in the paper supply unit B, and the uppermost paper is sent out from the paper supply cassette by the rotation of the paper supply roller B1 and conveyed to the registration roller A9. The registration roller A9 controls to start rotation at a timing so that the conveyance of the paper is temporarily stopped and the positional relationship between the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive member A1 and the leading edge of the paper becomes a predetermined position.

  In the reading unit C, a document (not shown) is placed on the contact glass C2, and the document surface is read by pressing the reading surface against the contact glass C2 by the pressure plate C5. In order to read and scan a placed original, a reading traveling body C1 including a light source for original illumination and a mirror is reciprocated. Image information obtained by scanning by the reading traveling body C1 is read as an image signal into a CCD (C4) installed behind the lens C3, and then digitized and processed. Based on the image-processed signal, a laser diode (not shown) of the exposure device A8 emits light, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor A1. The optical signal from the laser diode reaches the photoreceptor A1 through an optical system composed of a known polygon mirror and lens.

  The humidity control in this embodiment is performed as follows. First, the humidity in the process cartridge PC is detected by the humidity sensor S attached in the process cartridge PC, and is transmitted to the controller board CB as an electrical signal. The controller board CB constantly monitors this electric signal and controls the power supplied to the fan F and the humidity control unit HCU so that the humidity in the process cartridge PC becomes a predetermined humidity. For example, when it is detected that the humidity is high, the power is increased to improve the dehumidifying power of the humidity control device HCU, and the power of the fan F is also increased to increase the air volume so that the inside of the process cartridge PC can be quickly dehumidified. . That is, stable image formation can be performed regardless of the environment.

  For these driving operations, power generated by the solar cell SC installed on the upper surface of the pressure plate C5 is used, and power is supplied to the humidity controller HCU and the fan F via the controller board CB. When the power generated by the SC is insufficient, the controller board CB detects this and performs control so that power can be supplied also from the main power supply PSU and possibly the auxiliary power supply device SPSU. That is, the humidity control can be stably performed even when the power generation of the solar cell SC is insufficient. Conversely, when there is a surplus of power generated by the solar cell SC, it is possible to perform control such that the power is stored by being supplied to the auxiliary power unit SPSU. By using the solar cell SC, it is easy to save power, and it is clean because no waste is generated for power generation. Furthermore, a solar cell can be installed on the exterior or the like without impairing the appearance.

Next, an embodiment in which the humidity control apparatus of the present invention is a process cartridge PC attached to the above-described image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the main configuration of this embodiment is one in which the charging roller A2, the developing roller A3, and the cleaning blade A5 are housed in one cartridge with the photoreceptor A1 as the center. The humidity sensor S is installed in the casing, and the humidity control unit HCU is installed so as to face both the inside and outside of the casing of the process cartridge PC. Electrical inputs and outputs of the sensor S and the humidity control unit HCU are connected to the controller board CB described above through a connector (not shown), and are similarly attached / detached according to the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge PC. . In this example, the process cartridge can stably form an image regardless of the environment. In this embodiment, since the humidity control unit HCU is integrated with the process cartridge PC, the exchangeability of the humidity control unit HCU is improved.

(Comparative evaluation example)
The results of comparative image evaluation in a high temperature and high humidity environment using the solid polymer electrolyte membrane (SPE membrane) manufactured by Ryosai Technica Co., Ltd. as a dehumidifying device are shown in the following two examples of the present invention and the conventional example. Table 1 shows.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing power supply modes in the image forming apparatus main body, the humidity control apparatus, the main power supply, the auxiliary power supply, and the power generation apparatus in the conventional apparatus and the apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, the solid line indicates the main power supply, the alternate long and short dash line indicates the standby current, and the dotted line indicates the small amount of power supply.

  Humidity control was not performed in the conventional example, and a blurred image called image flow was output at the start, whereas in the examples of the present invention, good images could be obtained from the start. In the conventional example, the image flow gradually recovered by outputting the image, but in the examples of the present invention, it was consistently good.

It is a conceptual diagram of 1st Example of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the power supply form in the image forming apparatus main body, a humidity control apparatus, a main power supply, an auxiliary power supply, and an electric power generating apparatus in the conventional example apparatus and this invention apparatus in comparative evaluation.

Explanation of symbols

A Image forming unit A1 Photoconductor A2 Charging device A3 Developing device A4 Transfer device A5 Cleaning device (cleaning blade)
A6 Fixing device A7 Paper discharge roller A8 Exposure device A9 Registration roller B Paper feed unit B1 Paper feed roller C Reading unit C1 Reading traveling body C2 Contact glass C3 Lens C4 CCD
C5 Pressure plate D Discharge storage unit PC Process cartridge PSU Main power supply device SPSU Auxiliary power supply device CB Controller board HCU Humidity control device S Humidity sensor SC Solar cell

Claims (11)

A humidity control device comprising a humidity control means and a power generation device, wherein the power for operation can be supplied from the power generation device to the humidity control means. When the humidity control means, the main power supply device and the power generation device are provided, the operation power can be supplied from the main power supply device and the power generation device to the humidity control means, and the power generation amount of the power generation device is insufficient. A humidity control device characterized in that the power of the main power supply device can be used in combination to supply power to the humidity control means. Humidity control means, a main power supply device, an auxiliary power supply device, and a power generation device are provided, and power for operation can be supplied from the auxiliary power supply device and the power generation device to the humidity control means. A humidity control device characterized in that when it is insufficient, the power of the auxiliary power supply device can be used together to supply power to the humidity control means. 4. The humidity control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power generation apparatus is a solar battery. 5. The humidity control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the solar cell is a dye-sensitized solar cell. A process cartridge capable of humidity control using the humidity control device according to claim 1. A process cartridge comprising the humidity control device according to claim 1. 8. The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein a polymerized toner is used as a developer. 6. An image forming apparatus, wherein the humidity can be controlled by the humidity control device according to claim 1. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a polymerized toner is used as a developer. An image forming apparatus comprising the process cartridge according to claim 6 detachably.